Bishops meet with Argentinian President: the Homeland is a gift, the Nation is a task

Argentinian President Cristina Fernandez met last week with the Executive Committee of the Bishops’ Conference of Argentina, led by Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires. During the meeting, the bishops gave her a copy of their recently released statement, “The Homeland is a Gift, the Nation is a Task."

In their statement, the bishops urged that “the political and institutional conditions be recreated to allow that the permanent state of confrontation be overcome.” They then called on all Argentinians, especially their leaders, to act with nobility.

“The celebration of our bicentennial deserves a social and spiritual climate distinct from that which we are experiencing,” the bishops said.

After their meeting with the president, the bishops visited the Senate, where they were met by the Senate leader and vice president of the nation, Julio Cobos.

The bishops’ spokesman, Father Jorge Oesterheld, underscored the importance of the meetings and said the discussions with the vice president were “very good.”